Pope Francis is not the revolutionary that some feared he might be, also based on the choice of the name to be used as pontiff, but he is cautiously progressive on some points. Pope Francis is not a revolutionary, but he is rigidly opposed to all forms of rigidity and doctrinal caste, and in an interview given by Fabio Fazio in February 2022, it was no coincidence that he called clericalism one of the greatest evils of the Church. Pope Francis is not a revolutionary, but he is not indifferent to the women’s issue, he often spoke about the need for a greater presence of women in the Church, and since he was in power, he has made various decisions in this sense: For example, an official statement that women can read the Bible and serve at the altar during masses. In addition, thanks to him, four women, including three nuns and one laywoman, entered the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops. First among them is Natalie Beccar, Sister Beccar, known for always speaking out in support of women’s greater participation in church activities. The second is Sister Alessandra Smerilli, known in the Faculty of the Auxiliary Institutions of Rome as a professor of political economy and a former state councilor in the Vatican. With her is also the Spanish nun Maria Luisa Berzosa González of the Order of the Daughters of Jesus, who runs a public school. Fe and Alegria. And finally, the laywoman Cecilia Costa, famous in the academic sector for her chair of general sociology at the University of Rome.

Today, Pope Francis has taken another step forward by deciding to grant voting rights for women in the collections of the Synod of the Underworld dedicated to the Church in the 21st century. It sounds more modest than it actually is: in fact, this is a historical turning point. After centuries of subjugation of women in the church hierarchy, with this concession, the faithful have access, meanwhile in the vote, to equal dignity in decision making with men and especially with bishops. Pope Francis, who is not a revolutionary but loves to act on this issue where the great Catholic Church allows him, has surpassed his predecessors in a “feminist” position. How many John Paul II and other church leaders, in fact, exalted the “feminine genius” and various forms of co-responsibility of women in the Church, up to the decision of Francis, which was announced on April 26, women’s world he didn’t have access with the right to make decisions on one of the turning points of church life after the Second Vatican Council, which is precisely Synodan assembly of bishops that decides the problems of the Catholic community and formulates proposals for presentation to the pontiff.

Men will still have majorities in the powerful assembly, however this reform is seen as a significant change for the Roman Catholic Church, which has been dominated exclusively by men for centuries. The US-based Women’s Ordination Conference, which supports women priests, called the reform a “significant crack in the glass ceiling”“For years, Vatican representatives and bishops have resisted, postponing a decision from synod to synod,” the group wrote on Twitter. “The unspoken reason has always been sexism.” “We hope that in the near future the Synod will continue to develop into a full-fledged representative body of the people of God.Breaking with tradition yet again, Pope Francis announced that voting rights would also be extended to 70 non-church members chosen by the religious community, thereby moving the synod away from the idea of ​​being something that only pertains to church hierarchies and not to all Catholics.

“This is an important change, this is not a revolution”, said Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, one of the main organizers of the synod, just to stick to what we said at the beginning. Christopher Lamb, a Vatican correspondent for the Catholic newspaper The Tablet, nevertheless told the BBC World Service’s Newshour program that the changes were “extremely significant” and represented an attempt by the Pope “make decisions about the future of the Church that are becoming increasingly inclusive.” She also added that the reforms affecting women reflect an “unprecedented” dialogue on women’s representation that has been going on for some time. But at the same time, Lamb added that the Pope will face “significant opposition” from parts of the church over his latest decision. He is not a revolutionary, Pope Francis, but he wants to complete his small steps at any cost.